Flexible coupling



Dec. 10, 1940. o. WULFERT FLEXIBLE COUPLING Filed June 3, 1939 w m m x INVE N TOR OTTO WULFERT ATTORNEY Patented Dec, 10, 1940 FLEXIBLE COUPLING Otto Wulfert, St. Louis, Mo., assignor to Wagner Electric Corporation, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Delaware Application June a, 1939, Serial No. 277,188

3 Claims.

The object of my invention" is to provide a coupling between a driving and a driven shaft which will have sufficient flexibility to compensatefor slight errors in alignment of the shafts 'but which will have considerable rigidity and be noiseless in operation. While my coupling may be used for various purposes, it is particularly adapted for connecting the driving shafts of small motors to driven units.

In carrying out -my invention I provide the driving and driven shafts with a pair of telescoping members which are connected but held out of contact with each other by a core of elastic material, such as rubber, which is vulcanized or 1! otherwise adhesively secured to both members.

In the accompanying drawing, which illustrates one form of coupling made in accordance with my invention, Figure 1 is a longitudinal section; Figure 2 is a cross section taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a longitudinal view at right angles to Figure 1; Figure 4 is a side elevation of the member carried on the driven shaft; Figure 5 is a section taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 4; Figure 6 is a side elevation of'the member carried on the driving shaft; and Figure 7 is a section taken on the line 1-1 of Figure 6.

The driving shaft i0 carries a tubular holder I l which may be formed integral therewith. Positioned in the holder, is a telescoping member consisting of a disc l2 and two arms I3. These arms are preferably formed by bending over extensions of the disc and are shaped to fit snugly within the holder. The member is held in position by a screw [4 passing through a slot IS in the disc and threaded into shaft I0. Rotation of the member relative to the shaft is prevented by a pin I6 entering slot IS.

The telescoping member carried by the driven shaft i1 is similar in form to that of the member above described and is preferably made of drawn material.

shaft is drawn to produce a cylinder having a closed end which provides the end plate l8 of the driven member. Two sections of the cylinder wall are cut away to provide arms H to extend between arms I 3 of the driving member. The cut-away portions do not, however, extend completely to the end plate I8 but terminate a sum-- cient distance therefrom to provide a reinforcing flange 20. An opening 2| is formed in the end plate l8 for thereceptlon of shaft l1 and the metal around this opening is struck up to form a hub 22. The opening 2| should be non-circular in form to prevent relative rotation between the In forming it, metal of less thickness\ than that forming the member on the driving member and the shaft. This is conveniently accompllshed by forming the opening with a flat side 23 cooperating with a correspondingly flattened portion 24 of the shaft.

The two telescoping members are secured to- 5 gether by a core 25 of elastic material, such as rubber, adhesively secured to both members, pref- .erably by vulcanizing. Rubber of the synthetic variety is preferably employed when the device may be liable to contact with oil. The core is provided with a central opening 26 for the shaft ii and is preferably provided with longitudinally extending ribs 21 (Figure 2) extending between the edges of the arms l3 and IS. The use of thinner metal in arms l9 than in arms l3 permits 15 the use of a core cylindrical in form and at the, same time secures the necessary clearance space 28 to permit of lateral compensating movement between the parts. 7

Having fully described my invention, what I 2 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a device of the class described, the combination with driving and driven shafts, of a bifurcated member carried by one of said shafts, 35 a second bifurcated member carried by the other of said'shafts and having its arms positioned between but out of contact with the arms of said first named member, a cylindrical connector of elastic material having its periphery adhesively 30 connected to the inner faces of the arms of both said members, said connector having a central opening to receive one of the shafts, said last named shaft having sliding but non-rotary engagement with one of the members.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination with driving and driven shafts, of a tubular holder carried by one of said shafts, a bifurcated member secured in said holder and its arms in contact with the wall thereof, a second 40 bifurcated membersliding but non-rotatably carried by the other shaft, said latter named member having its" arms positioned between but out of contact with the arms of the first named mem- 3. In a device of the class described, the com- 50 bination with driving and driven shafts, of a tubular holder carried by one of said shafts, a bifurcated member secured in said holder and its arms in contact with the wall thereof, an end plate member, a pair of arms carried by said end 55 reception ol. the other of the shafts, and a cylindrical connector of elastic material having its periphery adhesively connected to both members, said connector having a central opening for the reception of the last named shaft.

O'I'IO WUlLiFERT. 

